Sunday, April 20, 2014

Book Review: Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It
Author:  Sarah Mlynowski
Publisher:  Delacorte Press, 336 pages
Publication Date:  March 11, 2014
*Received ARC from publisher via NetGalley

From Goodreads:
We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.
So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.


Review:
I enjoyed this book about a group of high school students who suddenly can hear everyone's thoughts, including each other's.  It obviously creates problems for some (girl who cheated on her boyfriend and friends who have occasional mean thoughts about each other), but also frees others (shy girl who was always afraid of what everyone was thinking about her).  So it's high school drama with this additional complication.

The plural writing was a little hard to get used to at first, and there were so many characters (twenty-two students get the flu shot that leads to them having ESP) that it took me awhile to keep everyone straight, although there were about five of the students that the book focused on.  Once I knew who was who, I did enjoy the humor and the realistic reactions and situations.  Suddenly students are sitting next to the smart people in class so they can cheat during tests, and they're excelling at chess tournaments and sports.  I thought it was pretty hilarious when the twins were supposed to wrestle each other and both of them could hear each other's thoughts so they basically just stood there because they were mentally wrestling.  And one student who can't help but overhear what her parents are thinking when they're having sex.  Umm…awkward.  So on the one hand, they realize it's such a cool power.  On the other hand, they can't hide their own thoughts from each other and they can't help but hear everyone's thoughts, whether they want to or not.  Would you really want to know what everyone thinks about you, no filter?  

Creative, fresh, funny, and smart, I was thoroughly entertained.


Posted by:  Pam

12 comments:

  1. I seen this book and I wasn't sure. It sounds kind of fun. Thanks for the review!

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  2. I have heard the POVs are a little hard, but I think this one sounds like fun too!
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

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    1. That's my biggest complaint, that it took awhile to keep straight who was who. ~Pam

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  3. I have an ARC of this book and I've been kinda on the fence about. I just don't know if it's for me. But if you thought it was fun, maybe I will give it a chance. :)

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    1. It is fun and a quick read. Look forward to your review if you end up reading it! ~Pam

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  4. I liked this one, too. I loved how the author tackled the ability and thought parts of the novel were really funny (the parents having sex was cringe-worthy). It definitely had me re-thinking mind-reading as my go-to super power, that's for sure. Great review!

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    1. After reading this, I would never choose that as a super power. With the one girl who is in love with her best friend…that was so sad! Sometimes it's better just not to know. ~Pam

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  5. I'm still unsure about this book, but it does have a ridiculously awesome sounding premise. I'm not sure I would want to know everybody's thoughts myself. Great review! :)

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    1. It's a cute fun and fast read so if you're in the mood, I would recommend it. ~Pam

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  6. I've seen mixed reviews for this one, but it's on audio at the library so there's a good chance I will give it a shot anyway. It sounds like it can be fun too. I am a little worried it will be a confusing audiobook because of the multiple narrators but i'll cross my fingers that its not a problem.

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    1. It was a fun book. Curious to hear what they do for the audiobook. Hope you enjoy it! ~Pam

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